One of the best nature shows in California is happening right now, just off our beaches and piers.
While whales are a common summer sighting from Monterey to Point Reyes, the abundance of shallow-swimming fish is luring large numbers of the largest animals on Earth within easy viewing distance.
“They are very close to shore — and in some instances, in the surf. Typically, they’re further offshore,” said Jennifer Stock of the Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Some have even traveled through the Golden Gate.
In the past month, naturalist Ted Cheeseman has counted 387 individual humpback whales in Monterey Bay, up from 202 in June, 261 in in May and 112 in April. Some of the whales are familiar guests, seen in previous summers. Others are newcomers or young calves, accompanying their mothers. Observers send hundreds of whale photos every day to Cheeseman’s website, Happywhale.com, where he scrutinizes their markings to identify them.
On the Facebook site Pacifica Whalespotting, dozens of excited whale-watchers quickly post the specific locations and times of their sightings so that others can join.
“It’s been amazing,” said Chris Campo, one of the site administrators. “What’s special is that the whales have stayed so close. Lots of people are cheering when they see them.”
On Monday evening, while gazing out into the surf and sunset from Sharp Park Beach, south of Pacifica’s pier, “there were whales just a stone’s throw away,” Campo said.
Our waters are the summer destination for these whales. They don’t continue their trip up to Alaska as once thought.
After giving birth in the winter off the coasts of Mexico and Central America, they journey with their calves and comrades up to Bay Area waters. Then they stay here, eating and frolicking, until it’s time to return south in November.
What’s bringing them close is their prey, such as anchovies, sardines and other schooling fish. It is not known why the fish are nearby; perhaps winds have caused upswelling of cold waters.
The fish are so close that “you can smell them and see a lot of birds diving in the water,” said Stock.
“You see the surface of the water ripple, then the anchovies literally jump out of the water, in clouds, fleeing the whales,” said Campo. “It almost sounds like rain.”
It’s also a mystery how whales get the news that we’re a hotspot.
Perhaps they just sense that the conditions are perfect, said Cheeseman. “Or maybe they can hear each other or call to each other. They’re social animals and can listen from a long way off.”
Humpbacks are identified by their dark “hump” back and big dorsal fin. They are much more acrobatic and performative, lunging and breaching, than other species.
Some are “breaching,” propelling themselves out of the water and crashing back down with a resounding splash. Others toss their tails, then submerge. Sometimes they “spyhop,” popping heir heads above water to inspect their surroundings. Most often, only an exhaled plume of water vapor, called a spout or “blow,” can be seen. Humpbacks have characteristic tall, column-shaped spouts.
Once hunted nearly to extinction, humpback whales are still considered endangered but are making a comeback. The International Whaling Commission’s final moratorium on commercial harvest, in effect since 1985, has played a major role in the recovery of the species. NOAA estimates there are now nearly 5,000 humpbacks off the West Coast.
But they live in a giant obstacle course, their habitat overlapping with major shipping arteries. So they suffer from entanglement in fishing gear, underwater noise — and vessel strikes.
Their proximity is a cause for celebration but also a cause for concern, because the Bay Area has one of the busiest ports on the West Coast, with 85 private and recreational marinas, high-speed ferries and lots and lots of vessel traffic. Collisions are deadly.
When encountering whales and other marine mammals, boaters should slow down and operate at “no-wake” speed, according to NOAA. Put the engine in neutral when whales approach to pass. Remain at least 100 yards away, about the length of a football field, whether you are on a boat, kayak, paddleboard or any other watercraft.
Never pursue or follow the whales, said NOAA’s Stock. Any vessel movement should be slightly parallel to or from the rear of the animal, keeping a distance. If you need to move around a whale, do so from behind. Never approach head-on. Slowly leave the area if it shows signs of disturbance.
No one knows how much longer this surge in humpbacks will last. It all depends on how long the fish stick around. A different species, called gray whales, will start to arrive in November or December on their migration south from Alaska.
“It’s been going on for weeks, but it could change at any time,” said Campo. “I warn people that these whales are chasing fish. They’re not going to be here forever.”
